The piece draws on the influences of Theater of the Absurd and the work of Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator" in order to examine the variety of ways we manifest, thwart, and manipulate one's power. The collection of characters each conspires to have this power in one way or another. But, in the end, the audience truly holds the strings to the puppets in their roles.
Credits & Info
- Choreographer: Kate Hutter
LACDC Artists:
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Shari Brookler, Devin Fulton, Jamila Glass, Jacinto Delgado Guizar, Natalie Hurter, Marisa Jimenez, Rogelio Lopez, Michelle Pritchard and Carlos Rodriguez | Guest Performance by Will Greenberg as the "General"
Collaborators Include:
- Music: Selections from John Adam’s Book of Alleged Dances performed by Kronos Quartet
- Costume Designer: Kate Hutter
- Lighting Designer: T. Stirlin Burke
- Assistant Lighting Designer: Philip Kong
- Set Designer: Arad Vejdani
- Production Manager: Casey Cowan Gale
- Photographer: Taso Papadakis
INFO
"Ideas dealt with in reflection of Theater of the Absurd – The breakdown of conventional communication can lead to the invention of new languages; possibly better ones: more creative, more revealing, more honest; or worse ones: more dishonest, more manipulative, more confusing. In the process of creating these new lines of communication, we break away from the mundane and exercise our brain with new obstacles. This process in itself can awaken new connections with the world around us and our sensitivity to it.
It should also be noted that at the time I was fascinated by the non-sensical gestures and verbose characters of absurdist theatre while concurrently watching a lot of Chaplin movies. I drew much of my inspiration for the General from the work of Samuel Beckett, particularly Lucky’s speech in Waiting for Godot, and from Charlie Chaplin’s performance in The Great Dictator. Both blurred the lines of what was coherent speech and gesture while successfully conveying a poignant message."
"The concept of power: How do we gain it, lose it, forfeit it, abuse it, maintain it, misunderstand it, fake it, play with it…” Empowering the audience was a main goal of mine in this work. For example, the use of a MADLIB for the title already begins the audience's ownership of the piece and the power to title it…with a command." -Kate Hutter
